CLICK HERE for Game Recap from Kristy McNeil and other pertinent information and HERE for current Pairwise Rankings.

What just happened (TL;DR): Michigan built a 3-0 lead over the first thirty five minutes, despite being outshot and at times outskated. The Wolverines then gave away two goals in the next two and a half minutes before the second period ended. A very strong defensive third period got them through the final twenty minutes to preserve their lead. Garrett Schifsky had two goals. Jake Barczewski had 37 saves.

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

Forward Notes.

-Michigan did not have one of their best offensive games. They struggled to create the volume of chances that we’re used to seeing from the Maize and Blue. OSU’s pressure early stymied Michigan in their own zone for a while. They also struggled to get the puck going up the ice with consistency. My guess is that an even strength corsi of 39 is very close to being if not their actual season low. That’s just the kind of game it was. Good thing they have finishers.

-It was impossible to tell from BTN- cameras, but the ice seemed very choppy. It’s also something OSU has done in the past when they didn’t have the speed and skill of their opponent. Both teams (but Michigan in particular) struggled with stringing passes and plays together. With the lead in the third, they definitely played to their advantage and didn’t try to over-extend themselves…especially on what looked to be less than stellar ice.

-Garrett Schifsky collected two more goals on the evening. His first goal was very creative spinning shot after gatheringh a blocked attempt loose in the slot. Schifsky corralled the puck, spun, and whipped it inside the far post to give the Wolverines a two goal advantage. He also added an empty-netter to seal the game. Those were his 12th and 13th goals of the season. Very good.

-Nick Moldenhauer finished a puck at the back post after Josh Eernisse tipped a Jacob Truscott shot-pass from the slot. Moldenhauer is also starting to pop with his fourth goal in the last seven games. On a night when the Hero Line created but didn’t score, the Wolverines depth got it done.

Tyler Duke reminded Ohio State what he can do (Bill Rapai)

Defense Notes.

-While Michigan did surrender almost forty shots on the evening, they generally did a good job of keeping those chances out of the slot. They also allowed Jake Barczewski to see most pucks coming his way. That has been one of the keys to games this season. Don’t ask him to be a hero, and he will do the rest. That was basically the case on Friday night.

-Ethan Edwards had a rough night. He fell over in the neutral zone, giving up a 2v1. He gave the puck away at the blue line, allowing Max Montes to walk in down the wing for his first goal. Edwards then was undressed by Montes on a rush where Max also held off Luca Fantilli and beat Barczewski Five Hole…again.

-A story of the night was Tyler Duke. After spending his freshman year at Ohio State, Duke fired a patient, delayed rebound by Logan Terness to open the scoring. That play, though was made by Tyler’s defensive partner Seamus Casey. Casey created all night for the Wolverines. On this instance he beat a guy down the wall, circled the net and hit Kienan Draper in the low slot. Draper’s shot was denied, but Tyler Duke found the puck and gave the crowd a chance to boo him.

-Michigan rotated Luca Fantilli and Steve Holtz. It looked to me that Luca played more than Holtz, and I only remember seeing Holtz in the second period. That is something to keep an eye on Saturday night.

SPECIAL TEAMS CHART

Power Play. While the ice probably had something to do with it, Michigan’s power play had a bit of a power outage for Friday night’s game. They generated about one really dangerous chance per opportunity but could not string enough together to overwhelm Logan Terness and the Buckeye PK. Seamus Casey had a great look in the slot. Gavin Brindley had a one-timer slap shot. That was mostly it for the vaunted Wolverine Advantage.

-Not much, one good chance from Casey and another from Brindley and that’s it; another one good chance, but not a complete PP

Penalty Kill. Michigan penalty kill got the job done. A lot of that was due to their Masked Man, though. The Buckeyes first two power plays were mostly spent in the Wolverines end. Michigan’s PK struggled to press Ohio State and clear the zone. Jake Barczewski, however, was up to the challenge and stopped eleven shots in just six minutes. As the old adage says, sometimes your best penalty killer is your goalie. That certainly was the case on Friday night.

Goaltending photo caption (Bill Rapai)

GOALTENDING CHART

Notes. Jake Barczewski started in net, and once again on a Friday night, turned in a tremendous performance. While Michigan’s defense wasn’t super leaky giving away Grade A looks consistently, they also did not have the puck as much they normally do, and the Buckeyes challenged Barczewski all evening. Jake was great in his puck tracking, decision-making, and even came out to make a few Bail Out saves. The two goals that beat him were both after some defensive mishaps…but they also both went Five Hole. They weren’t horrible, but I bet he’s a bit frustrated by those instances. In the end though, he did more than his part and in some ways, stole this game for the Wolverines.

ODD MAN RUSH CHART

Notes. Michigan gave up three OMRs on Friday evening in Columbus. Jake Barczewski made a big save on the final 2v1 to hold Michigan’s slim lead. Ethan Edwards fell in the neutral zone, leading to a 2v1, but the attempt was wide of the net.

Michigan generated one 2v0 with Nick Moldenhauer and TJ Hughes. Hughes was restrained from being able to take a shot, and the Wolverines were given a power play. That was all Michigan got in transition on Friday.

FINAL THOUGHTS

While this was not the smoothest, skilled win of the season, it was exactly the type of win this team needed. They didn’t outshoot, outchance, or outskate Ohio State. They finished their looks and defended a third period lead, not allowing a goal…or even really a Grade A chance. That is a huge mental obstacle to overcome, given the last couple of weekends. Once again, here we are: winning a Friday game, going into Saturday with a chance to sweep. That’s the next obstacle. Saturday night at 8pm on BTN.